Jean HUGO (1894 - 1984) for Emilio TERRY (1890-1969) - Lot 15

Jean HUGO (1894 - 1984) for Emilio TERRY (1890-1969) Metamorphosis - Surrealist composition Pair of oils on canvas circa 1929 - 1931 Annotated on the back "toile de Jean Hugo". Dimensions: 46 x 55 cm Unsigned Note : Our two canvases were commissioned from the artist around 1929 by the famous decorator Emilio TERRY (1890-1969) to be used as the cardboard for the tapestry of the two cushions of a banquette whose structure he had designed. This banquette and the two chairs that accompanied it are now in the collections of the Musée Maurice Denis in Saint Germain en Laye. Our painting comes directly from the estate of Emilio Terry. In the same sale, we are presenting the complement to the salon conserved at Saint Germain en Laye, and on 25/11/2023, we sold the canvas painted by Hugo to serve as the cardboard for the seat of the banquette (Sale Arts du XXème - 25/11/2023 - Lot 171). Note : In agreement with our vendor, hereafter a note to clarify the origin of the lots presented in this sale. All the lots presented today come from the estate of Mr. Raymond BERANGER. Mr. BERANGER worked for some thirty years with Emilio TERRY as a decorator and upholsterer on a number of projects, including the fitting out and decoration of the Château de ROCHECOTTE. We have in our possession several letters from Emilio TERRY showing the extent to which relations had become friendly and not just professional over the years. One example is a letter dated 1950, 19 years before the artist's death, in which he talks about how much he misses their endless conversations, and I quote: "Bien amicalement et affectueusement à vous? It is more than likely that there are 3 sources in Mr. Raymond BERANGER's estate. On the one hand, free gifts from the artist to Mr. Raymond BERANGER, and we are thinking in particular of the sketchbooks containing projects on which the two men might have worked together. On the other hand, the workshop holdings of the Tours craftsmen working for Emilio TERRY, and we are inevitably thinking of the unfinished salon set and the paintings by Jean HUGO intended to serve as models for the tapestries that were to decorate it, which explains the proximity of these lots in the same estate. Finally, Mr. Raymond BERANGER, who had the means and a keen interest in works of art, was able to acquire some of the works presented today through other channels. We are delighted to present this sale, a tribute to the genius and talent of Emilio TERRY, and we thank you for your interest.